James hannigan and archibald millee



(No Model.)

J. HANNIGAN & A. MILLER.

HERM ETIGALLY SEALED CAN.

No. 361,411. Patented Apr. 19, 1887.

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UNITED STATES PATENT O FICE.

JAMEs HANNIGAN AND ARCHIBALD MILLER, or BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, ASSIGNORS or ONE-THIRD TO WM. H. LAW, OF sAME PLACE.

HERMETlCALLY-SEALED CAN.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 361,411, dated April 19, 1887.

Application filed August 1-1, 1886. Serial No. 210,942. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, JAMES HANNIGAN and AROHIBALD MILLER, citizens of the United States, residing at Brooklyn, in the county of 5 Kings and State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Hermetically-Sealed Cans, of which the following is a specification.

Our invention is designed for a simple and efficient means of hermetically sealing paint,

fruit, and all other cans of that form whereof the rim of the cover fits inside of the mouth of the can, with a sealing-wire and solder, by which the solder may be easily and quickly rent for the opening of the can; and it consists of a copper or other suitable wire laid in a groove or channel formed by the top of the can and the rim and flange of the cover, with one end of thewire left slightly projecting, so as to be gripped with a pair of nippcrs,and the cantop and flange united by a light solder seal, that will be easily severed by stripping out the wire, all as hereinafter fully described and claimed, reference being made to the ac- 2 companying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a side elevation of a can with a part'in section, showing our improved seal.

Fig. 2 is a top View, also with a part in section.- Fig. 3 is a detail in section enlarged.

We take a fine copper or other approved wire, a, and lay a coil in the channel between the top I) of the can and the rim 0 and flange d of the cover, leaving one end, e, of the wire slightly projecting between the can-top and 5 the cover-flange so as to be gripped with nippers or other suitable device, and then, while the cover'is pressed so as to close the flange snugly on the wire or, on the can-top, solder the wire to the can-top and cover-flange, or

0 the can-top and cover-flange together by any approved means, whereby a hermetical seal is secured with a light film of solder,that may be readily rent by stripping out the wire when the can is to be opened. The wire may be 5 flattened a little where it passes between the can-top and cover-flange, or said can-top or cover-flange, or both, may be indented for the wire. If the can top and cover do not quite close each side of the projecting wire, the space may be filled with solder. The wire is pref- 5o erably to be small enough to lie a little below the top of the can in the depression of the channel which the oval top of the can makes with the rim of the cover, so that it will be held firmly therein by pressure of the flange 5 of the can-top preparatory to and while soldering, and said wire may be so small that theflange and can-top will touch and be united in front of it, provided it be so that it will not pull out lengthwise, and thus fail to sever the seal 5 but this may be prevented by taking care that the inner end of the wire be made fast with solder. The cover is also preferably offset from the flange, upward in some cases,

to provide more space for longer wires.-

It will be noted that we take the cans as at present made with covers of. which the rims enter inside of and fit the cans closely within the top, making no alteration or change in them whatever, except the offset of the cover, as above described, and for the rest we only use a simple plain wire, besides the solder, and y we require no means whatever for holding the wire in position while sea-ling, except a little pressure of the cover on the can, thus providing a most simple contrivance both for sealing and opening, and at the same time one that is equally as efficient as any.

What we claim, and desire to, secure by Let ters Patent, is

The improved herlnetical sealing and stripping joint for cans, whereof the rim of the cover enters within the top of the can and the flange of said cover closes down on the can-top, consisting of a wire coiled around the rim of 85 the cover between the cantop and coverflange and a line of solder uniting the flange of the cover to the can-top, said wire having one end projecting from between said cantop and cover-flange, substantially as described.

JAMES HANNIGAN. AROHIBALD MILLER.

Witnesses:

WV. J. MORGAN, S. H. MORGAN. 

